Multilevel Antecedents of Organizational Speed: The Exemplary Case of a Small Italian R&D Organization
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. The COVID-19 Outbreak
3. Theoretical Background
Reference | Purpose | DC Investigated | Main Evidence | Setting | Methodology |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
do Nascimento Welter et al. [31] | To identify the instruments and organizational mechanisms that provide the development of the innovative capacities of companies | Innovative capacity | The process of developing the innovative capacity of companies was studied, and this development occurred through behaviors and skills, routines, and processes and mechanisms of learning and knowledge governance that underpin the development of the product, process, and behavioral dimensions. | Small technology-based institutions in Brazil | Qualitative—multiple case study |
Deligianni et al. [32] | To examine the nature of the relationship between technological competence and product innovation, and the moderating effects of the entrepreneur’s political competence and prior start-up experience | Entrepreneurial political capability | Technological competence and entrepreneurial competences are key contingencies that influence resource orchestration efficiency in the context of new venture innovation. | New technology-based ventures in Greece | Quantitative |
Salehi et al. [33] | To understand how the roles played by network actors evolve during the development and commercialization process of an emerging technology and what operational and dynamic capabilities are developed by actors through collaboration | DC in general | Actors developed sensing capabilities in the pre-collaboration stage, which drove joint new product development. During the collaboration, seizing capabilities were developed where resource commitment and alignment of resources among actors were essential. Capabilities gained through commercialization and large-scale production were predominantly transforming capabilities where actors realigned their structure and had a positive impact on capability development in the wider network. | Technology-based start-ups in a network context | Qualitative—single case study |
Deakins and Bensemann [34] | To investigate the nexus between entrepreneurial learning and the innovation process | Entrepreneurial learning | Entrepreneurial learning has a critical role in the innovation process, enabling TBSFs to overcome resource constraints and challenges in a lean contextual environment such as New Zealand. | Technology-based new firms (TBNFs) in the agri-business sector in New Zealand | Qualitative interviews |
Jensen and Clausen [35] | To examine the origins of exploration and exploitation capabilities in NTBFs | Exploration and exploitation capabilities | There is an effect of exploitation and exploration behavior on capability emergence, and this effect is mediated through routines for deliberate learning. | New technology-based firms (NTBFs) in Norway | Quantitative |
Cho et al. [36] | To propose an assessment framework for research and development (R&D) innovation capabilities | R&D-based innovation capabilities | Conceptualization of R&D-based innovation capabilities as composed of management, innovation, planning, and implementation capabilities; a framework with indices for each component is presented and tested. | SMEs in technology-based industries (chemistry, electronics, telecommunications, and semiconductors) | Conceptual + Qualitative |
Löfsten [30] | To analyze the organizational capabilities among NTBFs and examine how these are linked to the firms’ long-term survival | Organizational capabilities | Business experience (work experience, education, multidisciplinary) of the CEO positively influences firm survival, whereas financing and having international customers do not. | NTBFs in Sweden | Quantitative |
Hutterer et al. [37] | To investigate how a research center is able to fulfil contradictory demands by scientific and industrial stakeholders | Ambidexterity | The fundamental abilities for managing contradictory demands are located on an individual level, and it is argued that especially autonomous, well-educated people and their competences of self-organization enable the research center to be ambidextrous. | Large research center in the mechatronic sector | Qualitative—single case study |
Ortín-Ángel and Vendrell-Herrero [38] | To compare the evolution of firms’ total factor productivity between university spin-offs and NTBFs from a capability perspective | DC in general | University spin-offs have lower initial substantive capabilities but greater dynamic capabilities than independent NTBFs. | University spin-off and NTBFs in Spain | Quantitative |
Biedenbach and Müller [28] | To explore how absorptive, innovative, and adaptive capabilities within early project phases affect project and portfolio performances in pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D organizations | Absorptive, innovative, and adaptive capabilities | The results show effects of absorptive, innovative, and adaptive capabilities on short- and long-term project performance and portfolio performance. Absorptive and adaptive capabilities are the primary contributors to the performance outcome, whereas innovative capabilities are a minor contributor. | Pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D organizations | Qualitative-quantitative interviews |
Brinckmann and Hoegl [39] | To examine how teamwork capability and relational capability of the entrepreneurial team affects the development of new firms | Relational capability and teamworking capability | The study finds that the founding team’s initial relational capability is important for the development of NTBFs, whereas the founding team’s initial teamwork capabilities is not. | NTBFs in Germany | Quantitative |
Strehle et al. [40] | To investigate the impact of organizational learning as an endogenous growth driver for technology-based new ventures | Strategic planning, financial planning, and evaluation, human resource planning, and evaluation, product development, marketing and sales | Eight bundles of management control systems, which are used as proxies for the emergence of the dynamic capabilities strategic planning, financial planning, and evaluation, human resource planning, and evaluation, product development, marketing and sales, and partnering, are positively associated with the growth of the venture. | Technology-based new ventures | Qualitative |
Thal and Shahady [29] | To examine perceptions regarding the practice of innovation in the US Air Force’s science and technology (S&T) community | Innovation management as a form of organizational capability | The primary reasons the S&T community pursues innovation are a desire to be state-of-the-art, to use technology better, and to respond to the customer. However, innovation was not well integrated into their business and technology strategies, which may result in ad hoc innovation efforts that are incongruent. Therefore, the S&T community may be better served by providing its workforce with the organizational processes to better facilitate game-changing innovation. | Air Force Research Laboratory | Qualitative interviews |
Wu and Wang [41] | To analyze how firms transform resources into performance | Resource integration capability, resource reconfiguration capability, learning capability, ability to respond to the rapidly changing environment | DC serve as a link for transforming internal and external resources (specialized know-how, capital, operational management capability, reputation, cooperative alliance experience) first into firm competitiveness and then into financial performance.(Dynamic capabilities increase with firm resources and with the willingness of support firms to cooperate, and, in turn, they serve to increase firm competitiveness and then financial performance.) | Technology-based firms in Taiwan | Quantitative |
Andries and Debackere [42] | To look at how the existing literature at the company level can inform us about adaptation in new technology-based companies | Adaptation | Model that proposes initial as well as later-acquired human, technological, financial, and networking resources as possible enablers for business model adaptation, which consists of different episodes, characterized by uncertainty or ambiguity. | New technology-based firms | Conceptual |
Atuahene-Gima et al. [43] | To investigate the relationship between the marketing strategy innovativeness and new product performance | Marketing strategy innovativeness (MSI) | The team’s extra industry relationships and market dynamism enhanced the impact of MSI on new product performance. In contrast, top management team’s intra-industry relationships, financial relationships, and technology dynamism hindered the impact of MSI on new product performance. | Technology-based firms in China | Quantitative |
Kor and Mahoney [27] | To examine the effects of the dynamics, management, and governance of R&D and marketing resource deployments on firm-level economic performance | R&D and marketing capabilities | A history of increased efforts in developing and maintaining marketing capabilities is an enduring source of competitive advantage. Moreover, if existing R&D capabilities are not renewed, in a high-velocity business world, economic rents from prior firm-level capabilities dissipate rapidly. Management experience moderates this effect. | Technology-based entrepreneurial firms in the medical, surgical, and dental instruments industry | Quantitative |
4. Methodology
5. Results
5.1. Case Description
5.2. How to Take Advantage of Opportunities Deriving from the COVID-19 Outbreak Rapidly
5.2.1. Recognition Speed
5.2.2. Decision Speed
5.2.3. Execution Speed
5.3. Antecedents of Organizational Speed
5.3.1. Antecedents at the Individual Level
5.3.2. Antecedents at the Organizational Level
5.3.3. Antecedents at the Partner Level
6. Discussion and Conclusions
6.1. Discussion of Findings
6.2. Theoretical and Practical Implications and Limitations
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Agostini, L.; Nosella, A. Multilevel Antecedents of Organizational Speed: The Exemplary Case of a Small Italian R&D Organization. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7502. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137502
Agostini L, Nosella A. Multilevel Antecedents of Organizational Speed: The Exemplary Case of a Small Italian R&D Organization. Sustainability. 2021; 13(13):7502. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137502
Chicago/Turabian StyleAgostini, Lara, and Anna Nosella. 2021. "Multilevel Antecedents of Organizational Speed: The Exemplary Case of a Small Italian R&D Organization" Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7502. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137502